"Lady Bird" Johnson was born in Karnack,
Texas (as Claudia Alta Taylor) on December 22, 1912. She was a very sharp businesswoman
who managed the family finances while her husband Lyndon concerned himself entirely with
politics. She used an inheritance from her parents to purchase a radio
station in Austin, Texas. The LBJ Company, named for her husband, eventually owned several radio
and television stations, a bank, large real-estate holdings, and other
properties, all of which were placed in a trust in 1960 when LBJ became Vice-president
under President John F. Kennedy. On November 22, 1963, she stood beside her husband on board Air Force One when he was sworn in as the 36th President following the assassination of President Kennedy.As First Lady, she was gracious and widely respected, and engaged in a popular public service campaign
to "Beautify America," encouraging citizens not to litter and to
respect nature.